Tongue-switch.



E. H. STEEDMAN.

TONGUE SWITCH.

nruouxou FILED JAILI'I, 1914.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

EDWIN H. STEEDMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TONGUE-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Application filed January 17, 1914. Serial No. 812,648.

To a whom it may concern lie it known that I, EDWIN H. S'raunuAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Tonguehwitches, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to tongue switches at the type described in my prior Patent No. 1.049.936, dated January 7, 1913.

One object of my present invention is to provide a tongue switch which is more ellicient than the switch shown in said patent in restraining lateral forces that tend to move the tongue crosswise of the body part of the switch and in supporting vertical forces acting at the heel end of the tongue which tend to tilt the tongue vertically. .\nd another object is to provide a design of switch of the type above-mentioned that is particularly adapted for long-radius switches. namely, switches in which the wheel flange grooves in the body part lie 'omparatively close together at the heel end if the tongue. To this end I ha ve provided the body part of the switch with a floor for the tongue which is so designed that it is possible to make the semi-cylindrical-shaped ivotal portion at the heel end of the tongue tapered and of greater diameter than the corrcspotuling part of the switch described in my )rior patent above-referred to, thereby tlltlldlllg the switch to more effectively restrain lateral forces which tend to move the tongue crosswise of the body part and support vertical forces at the heel end of the tongue which tend to tilt the tongue vertically. Said floor is provided with a rear portion that lies in a lower horizontal plane than the front portion of the tloor on which the main portion of the tongue rests. (.onsequently, it is possible to make the semi-cylindrical-shaped pivotal portion on the tongue of a long-radius switch of the same diameter as the corresponding portion of a short-radius switch without having the pocket for said pivotal portion cut into or intersect the wheel flange grooves in the body part of the switch.

Figure l of the drawings is a top plan view of a tongue switch constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlar ed top plan view of a portion of said switc Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the center of the switch, the tongue being shown in elevation and the body part of the switch in section; and Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4t4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the body )art of the switch, and B designates the oscillating tongue that is mounted on said body part, both of said members being preferably cast from manganese steel or some other suitable hard steel. The body part A is provided with a horizontally-disposed floor on which the tongue B rests, and in the preferred form of my invention as herein shown, said floor comprises two portions that are located in different horizontal planes. The front portion 1 of said floor forms a supporting surface for the main portion of the tongue B, and the rear portion 2 of said floor which is located in a lower horizontal plane than the front portion 1, as shown in Fig. 3, forms a supporting surface for the semi-conicalshaped pivotal portion 3 at. the heel end of the tongue. The body part A of the switch has a pocket that conforms to the shape of the semi-cylindrical-shaped pivotal portion 3 at the heel end of the tongue, and said pocket projects laterally underneath the wheel flange grooves 4 formed in the top face or wheel-tread surface of said body part, as shown in Fig. 4. By constructing the body part of the switch in this manner, namely, providing it with a tongue-supporting floor which comprises a rear portion that is located in a lower horizontal portion than the front )ortion, I am able to make the semi-cylindrical-shaped portion 3 at the heel end of the. tongue deeper and of greater diameter than the semi-cylindrical-shaptal pivotal portion on the tongue of the switch shown in my prior patent previously referred to. Consequently, the switch herein shown is more ellicient than the switch shown in my said prior patent in restraining lateral forces which tend to move the tongue B crosswise of the body part A, and in supporting vertical forces acting at the heel end of the tongue which tend to tilt the tongue vertically. In other words, the horizmttally-disposed bearing surface 2 of the body part on which the heel end of the tongue rests, is so large that there is little tendency for the tongue to wear and thus rock vertically owing to the fact that the vertical forces acting at the heel end of the tongue are distributed over an exceptionally large area and the overhanging -alls of the pocket in the body part which embrace the semi-e(mical-shaped portion 3 at the heel end of the tongue and hold the tongue firmly down on the rear portion 2 of the floor of the body part, have such an exceptionally large bearing area on the tongue that it ettectively restrains lateral forces which tend to move the tongue crosswise of the body part. Moreover, such a design makes it possible to build a long-radius switch in which the semi-cylindrical-shaped pivotal portion of the tongue is the same diameter as the corresponding part of a short-radius switch owing to the fact that the rear portion of the floor in the body part is dropped far enough so that. the pocket for said pivotal )ortion will not cut into or intersect the w reel flange grooves in the body part of the switch.

The means for retaining the tongue in operative position in the body part is preferably the same as the means used for this purpose in the switch shown in my prior patent previously referred to, and Comp-rises a bearing member of quarter-box 5 that embraces a conical surface on the front side of a dependimg lug 6 on the tongue and a wedge-shaped locking device 7 for holding said bearing member in engagement with said lug and causing it to exert rearward and downward pressure on said lag and tongue.

Having thus described my in"ention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let.- ters Patent is:

1. A tongue switch comprising a body part having wheel tlange grooves and provided with a floor whose rear portion is located in a lower horizontal plane than the front portion of the floor, and a tongue provided at its heel end with a curved pivotal portion whose lower end rests on the rear portion of the floor of the body part, the lower end of said ivotal portion being wider than the horizontal distance between the inner edges of the wheel flange grooves in the body part of the switch.

2. A tongue switch comprising a body part having wheel flange grooves and provided with an undercut pocket whose bottom is fiat and extends laterally underneath the portion in which said grooves are formed, a horizontal supporting surface arranged in advance of said pocket in a higher horizontal plane than the bottom of the pocket, a movable tongue. resting on said supporting surface, and a depending pivotal portion at the heel end of the tongue conforming to the shape of said pocket and provided with a flat. lower end that rests upon the floor of the pocket.

3. A tongue switch comprising a body part provided with wheel flange grooves, a floor on said body part made up of a frontportion and a flat rear portion which is located in a lower horizontal plane than said front portion and extends laterally underneath the portions of said body part in which said wheel flange grooves are formed, a movable tongue resting on the front portion of said floor, and a tapered pivotal portion at the heel end of the tongue fitting in an undercut pocket in said body part and having its lower end projecting downwardly below the tongue proper and resting upon the flat rear portion of said floor.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of January 1914.

EDWIN H. UTEEDHAN.

Witnesses:

Gtaoaon 1t. Lansox, Enwm S. Haamsox.

oniel of thin patent may be obtained for ilve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents. Washington, D. 0.

Uorreetion in Letters Patent No. 1,090,821.

It is hereby certified that in letters Patent No. 1,090,822, granted March 17,

1914, upon the application of Edwin H. Steedman, of St. Louis, Missouri, for an improvement in Tongue-Switches, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 28, for the word of read o'r;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of April, A. D., 1914.

- me J. 'r. NEWTON,

Acting Oommz'nioner of Patents. 

